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A Newark police officer was indicted yesterday on charges of official misconduct and faces accusations that he engaged in a sexual act with a prostitute while on duty, county prosecutors said.

The officer, Samuel Gonzalez, was accused of receiving oral sex from the prostitute while on patrol with another officer in Newark's South Ward last September, said Ray Weiss, a spokesman for the Essex County Prosecutor's office. Officer Gonzalez, who was suspended without pay shortly afterward, was also charged with trying to persuade his partner to withhold testimony about the incident, Mr. Weiss said. Officer Gonzalez faces a maximum of 25 years in prison if he is convicted.

Sgt. Derek Glenn, a spokesman for the Newark Police Department, said the department investigated Officer Gonzalez's behavior and turned the information over to county prosecutors.

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A version of this article appears in print on May 22, 1998, on Page B00008 of the National edition with the headline: METRO NEWS BRIEFS: NEW JERSEY; Newark Police Officer Is Indicted in Sex Case. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe